Ethan Quade

Ethan Douglas Quade, age 32 of rural Jeffers passed away on Saturday, June 28, 2025 at home as the result of a farm accident just a few days before his 33^rd birthday. Memorial Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Friday, July 11, 2025 at LifePoint Church in Storden.  Visitation will be 3:00-8:00 p.m. Thursday, July 10 at the church. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at church on Friday. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred. Stephens Funeral Service – Westbrook Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Ethan was born July 1, 1992, in Worthington, Minnesota, to Doug and Sue Quade. He was baptized and confirmed at Bethany Lutheran Church in Storden during his youth and later reaffirmed his faith with an adult baptism on July 1, 2015. He was a devoted member of LifePoint Church in Storden.

From the time he could walk, Ethan was a farmer at heart, farming a patch of dirt with his toy tractors. He grew up working alongside his family and built his life around the land. In high school, Ethan was active in FFA and served as chapter president – a natural leader with a deep love for agriculture. He attended Red Rock Central School and graduated as salutatorian in 2011. He went on to earn his degree in agronomy in 2015 from South Dakota State University in Brookings.

While at SDSU, Ethan met his perfect partner and teammate for life, Mikayla Piller. They were married on September 22, 2017, at the historic Valley Grove Church near Nerstrand, Minnesota.

Together, Ethan and Mikayla created a beautiful, busy, and joy-filled life on their farm near Jeffers. Ethan’s greatest pride was being Mikayla’s husband and the devoted daddy of their three daughters — Elsie Joy (5), Dakota Rae (3), and Misty Patricia (1). Alongside raising crops, they filled their farm with a lively menagerie of animals: cows, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, donkeys, mules, chickens, quail, and honeybees. He and Mikayla also shared a love for dogs and enjoyed breeding Australian Shepherds.

Ethan had a soft spot for old tractors and a passion for sharing farm life with others. He was always eager to give tours of the farm, explain how things worked, and introduce family & friends to the animals. He especially loved including his nieces and nephews in farm chores and tractor rides, creating memories that will be cherished for years to come.

Ethan was a passionate advocate for soil health, committed to using regenerative farming practices to restore the land. He believed in leaving things better than he found them – in farming and in life.

He served his community with a servant’s heart, always ready to help. He was a proud and active member of the Jeffers Fire Department and First Responders – and often the first to show up when a call went out. Ethan was also a member of the Red Rock Sportsman’s Club. He loved hunting, fishing, camping, and anything that brought him outdoors, especially with family by his side.

But above all else, Ethan treasured being a husband and father. He was a hands-on, fun-loving, deeply present dad – the kind of dad who got down on the floor to play, stayed up late rocking babies, and never missed a chance to make his girls laugh.

Ethan is survived by his beloved wife Mikayla and their daughters: Elsie, Dakota, and Misty; his parents Doug and Sue Quade of Jeffers; siblings: Randi (Clayton) Hubert and their children Carly, Morgan, Katie and John of Lamberton, and Bobbie (Ryan) Goeken and their children Jordan, Emma and Luke of Laramie WY; parents-in-law Greg and Wendi Piller of Kenyon, siblings-in-law: Brock (Lauren) Piller and their children Annie and Kenji, Chenoa (Seth) Grove and their children Bjorn and Melia, and Annalie (Damiani) Pagan and their daughter, Mia. Ethan is also survived by maternal grandparents Bob & Sonja Swenson of Westbrook, and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. He was greeted in heaven by his beloved grandma, Pat Quade, and his grandpa, Laurence Quade, whom he never had the chance to meet. Ethan is also reunited with his & Mikayla’s baby, August Quade, who was born with angel wings in 2019. There is no doubt that he is now holding August close – teaching, playing with, and loving them with all his heart.

Ethan’s legacy is one of faith, family, stewardship, and service – and he leaves behind a family and community that will miss him deeply.